Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Climate change: Thousands of penguins die in Antarctic ice breakup
The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest living penguin species that live in Antarctica. Their breeding colonies are on stable pack ice near the coast and up to 18 km offshore. But as summer sea ice diminishes, whether forming later or breaking up earlier due to global warming, their breeding colonies have been threatened. Last year, EU satellites observed a sudden disappearance in emperor penguins' excrement that they had left on the white sea ice when the sea ice beneath broke off and drifted away. Thousands of emperor chicks are feared to have been drowned to death as it occurred in November before they had fledged the slick feathers needed for swimming. (See the photos) It seems that global warming has changed the environment for emperor penguins. They now need to adjust their breeding cycle or relocate their breeding colonies deeper inland for survival. However, adjusting the breeding cycle may take years. Also, if they move further inland, it gets too cold to keep their eggs warm and too difficult to travel to sea to catch fish. They may become endangered unless they make the necessary changes and/or the circumstances improve fast enough.
Read the article and learn how global warming is affecting the lives of vulnerable emperor penguins in Antarctica.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66492767
Climate change: Thousands of penguins die in Antarctic ice breakup
The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest living penguin species that live in Antarctica. Their breeding colonies are on stable pack ice near the coast and up to 18 km offshore. But as summer sea ice diminishes, whether forming later or breaking up earlier due to global warming, their breeding colonies have been threatened. Last year, EU satellites observed a sudden disappearance in emperor penguins' excrement that they had left on the white sea ice when the sea ice beneath broke off and drifted away. Thousands of emperor chicks are feared to have been drowned to death as it occurred in November before they had fledged the slick feathers needed for swimming. (See the photos) It seems that global warming has changed the environment for emperor penguins. They now need to adjust their breeding cycle or relocate their breeding colonies deeper inland for survival. However, adjusting the breeding cycle may take years. Also, if they move further inland, it gets too cold to keep their eggs warm and too difficult to travel to sea to catch fish. They may become endangered unless they make the necessary changes and/or the circumstances improve fast enough.
Read the article and learn how global warming is affecting the lives of vulnerable emperor penguins in Antarctica.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66492767
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